WarningYour internet explorer is in compatibility mode and may not be displaying the website correctly.
You can fix this by pressing 'F12' on your keyboard, Selecting 'Document Mode' and choosing 'standards' (or the latest version
listed if standards is not an option).

GET NEW POSTS BY EMAIL

Core Functionality Blog Posts

Core Functionality Blog Posts

If you’ve read the COMSOL Blog before, you might know that we like to include animations in our blog posts to help illustrate concepts more clearly. Most of these animations are exported directly from the COMSOL Multiphysics® software, which means that you can export animations for your own simulations, too. At the bottom of this post, we link to a video to show you how to do that.

Categories

In a recent blog post, we discussed how to use the Domain Decomposition solver for computing large problems in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software and parallelizing computations on clusters. We show how to save memory by a spatial decomposition of the degrees of freedom on clusters and single-node computers with the Recompute and clear option. To further illustrate the Domain Decomposition solver and highlight reduced memory usage, let’s look at a thermoviscous acoustics problem: simulating the transfer impedance of a perforate.

Categories

In a previous blog post, we discussed the physiological basis of generating action potential in the excitable cells of living organisms. We spoke about the simple Fitzhugh-Nagumo model, which emulates the process of depolarization and repolarization in a cell’s membrane potential. Today, we analyze a more advanced model for simulating action potential, the Hodgkin-Huxley model. We also go over how to use a computational app to streamline this type of analysis.

Categories

In a previous blog post, we discussed integration methods in time and space, touching on how to compute antiderivatives using integration coupling operators. Today, we’ll expand on that idea and show you how to analyze spatial integrals over variable limits, whether they are prescribed explicitly or defined implicitly. The technique that we will describe can be helpful for analyzing results as well as for solving integral and integro-differential equations in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.

Categories

To help optimize your modeling processes, we are continuously striving to enhance the quality of our meshing capabilities. The recent improvements to the algorithm for generating tetrahedral meshes in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software are one such example. Follow along as we guide you through the process of generating a tetrahedral mesh to highlight this improved functionality and its correlating features, while discussing its role in helping you obtain better simulation results.

Categories

When addressing your geometry- and mesh-related support questions, we’ve noticed an increased use of STL files originating from 3D scan sources and meshes in NASTRAN® file format as bases for geometries. Performing simulations on these realistic objects can be challenging, particularly when preparing the geometry. Dealing with these files is now easier thanks to updates in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software. Learn how to utilize this functionality as well as how to achieve good results when importing STL and NASTRAN® files.

Categories

The Domain Decomposition solver is a memory-efficient iterative algorithm with inherent parallelism on the geometric level. We can use this method to compute large modeling problems that can’t be solved with other direct or iterative methods. This solver’s primary field of application is on clusters, but it can also enable the solution of large problems on laptops and workstations. Let’s see how to use this functionality in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.

Categories

In 1961, R. Fitzhugh (Ref. 1) and J. Nagumo proposed a model for emulating the current signal observed in a living organism’s excitable cells. This became known as the FitzHugh-Nagumo (FN) model of mathematical neuroscience and is a simpler version of the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model (Ref. 2), which demonstrates the spiking currents in neurons. In today’s blog post, we’ll examine the dynamics of the FN model by building an interactive app in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.

Categories

Cylindrical coordinates are useful for efficiently solving and postprocessing rotationally symmetric problems. The COMSOL Multiphysics® software has built-in support for cylindrical coordinates in the axisymmetry physics interfaces. When defining custom partial differential equations (PDEs) using the mathematical interfaces, paying close attention to their meaning is important. The PDE interfaces assume partial differentiation in a Cartesian system, requiring manual coordinate transformations to change to a cylindrical system. See how to account for such coordinate transformations when using your own PDEs.

Categories

To optimize your modeling processes, there are a number of built-in materials available for you to use in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software. Along with these materials are features and functionality that allow you to efficiently assign materials to geometric entities in your model. These tools help expedite the process of assigning materials, specifying material properties, and even comparing the impact of different materials on your simulation results. Here, we’ll highlight three tutorial videos that showcase how to use such tools.

Categories

A COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation typically includes one or more field quantities in its output. Depending on the number of field quantities, the geometry’s complexity, and the mesh density required for valid results, simulations can include millions of degrees of freedom (DOFs). Oftentimes, storing one or more scalar quantities or the results on a small geometry part is sufficient. Here, we explore tools for storing selected output quantities and minimizing model file sizes and the time required to display this data.

Categories

In a recent blog post, we discussed how to use the Domain Decomposition solver for computing large problems in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software and parallelizing computations on clusters. We show how to save memory by a spatial decomposition of the degrees of freedom on clusters and single-node computers with the Recompute and clear option. To further illustrate the Domain Decomposition solver and highlight reduced memory usage, let’s look at a thermoviscous acoustics problem: simulating the transfer impedance of a perforate.

Categories

The Domain Decomposition solver is a memory-efficient iterative algorithm with inherent parallelism on the geometric level. We can use this method to compute large modeling problems that can’t be solved with other direct or iterative methods. This solver’s primary field of application is on clusters, but it can also enable the solution of large problems on laptops and workstations. Let’s see how to use this functionality in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.

Categories

In a previous blog post, we discussed the physiological basis of generating action potential in the excitable cells of living organisms. We spoke about the simple Fitzhugh-Nagumo model, which emulates the process of depolarization and repolarization in a cell’s membrane potential. Today, we analyze a more advanced model for simulating action potential, the Hodgkin-Huxley model. We also go over how to use a computational app to streamline this type of analysis.

Categories

In 1961, R. Fitzhugh (Ref. 1) and J. Nagumo proposed a model for emulating the current signal observed in a living organism’s excitable cells. This became known as the FitzHugh-Nagumo (FN) model of mathematical neuroscience and is a simpler version of the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model (Ref. 2), which demonstrates the spiking currents in neurons. In today’s blog post, we’ll examine the dynamics of the FN model by building an interactive app in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.

Categories

In a previous blog post, we discussed integration methods in time and space, touching on how to compute antiderivatives using integration coupling operators. Today, we’ll expand on that idea and show you how to analyze spatial integrals over variable limits, whether they are prescribed explicitly or defined implicitly. The technique that we will describe can be helpful for analyzing results as well as for solving integral and integro-differential equations in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.

Categories

Cylindrical coordinates are useful for efficiently solving and postprocessing rotationally symmetric problems. The COMSOL Multiphysics® software has built-in support for cylindrical coordinates in the axisymmetry physics interfaces. When defining custom partial differential equations (PDEs) using the mathematical interfaces, paying close attention to their meaning is important. The PDE interfaces assume partial differentiation in a Cartesian system, requiring manual coordinate transformations to change to a cylindrical system. See how to account for such coordinate transformations when using your own PDEs.

Categories

To help optimize your modeling processes, we are continuously striving to enhance the quality of our meshing capabilities. The recent improvements to the algorithm for generating tetrahedral meshes in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software are one such example. Follow along as we guide you through the process of generating a tetrahedral mesh to highlight this improved functionality and its correlating features, while discussing its role in helping you obtain better simulation results.

Categories

To optimize your modeling processes, there are a number of built-in materials available for you to use in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software. Along with these materials are features and functionality that allow you to efficiently assign materials to geometric entities in your model. These tools help expedite the process of assigning materials, specifying material properties, and even comparing the impact of different materials on your simulation results. Here, we’ll highlight three tutorial videos that showcase how to use such tools.

Categories

When addressing your geometry- and mesh-related support questions, we’ve noticed an increased use of STL files originating from 3D scan sources and meshes in NASTRAN® file format as bases for geometries. Performing simulations on these realistic objects can be challenging, particularly when preparing the geometry. Dealing with these files is now easier thanks to updates in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software. Learn how to utilize this functionality as well as how to achieve good results when importing STL and NASTRAN® files.

Categories

A COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation typically includes one or more field quantities in its output. Depending on the number of field quantities, the geometry’s complexity, and the mesh density required for valid results, simulations can include millions of degrees of freedom (DOFs). Oftentimes, storing one or more scalar quantities or the results on a small geometry part is sufficient. Here, we explore tools for storing selected output quantities and minimizing model file sizes and the time required to display this data.